Combustible cladding ban set to be announced

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Cladding has been removed from numerous high-rise buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire

Combustible cladding is to be banned for all new schools, hospitals, care homes, student accommodation and residential buildings above 18m (60ft).

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire will make the announcement on Monday at the Conservative Party conference.

Mr Brokenshire is expected to say he wants to bring about a “change in culture on building safety”.

The move comes 15 months after Grenfell Tower fire, where cladding was blamed for the rapid spread of the blaze.

In a keynote speech to the conference in Birmingham, Mr Brokenshire will say the “unimaginable horror” of the Grenfell disaster, which cost the lives of 72 people, has “underlined the need” to ensure “such a disaster cannot happen again”.

The government is already undertaking a £400m programme to remove suspect cladding from all high-rise social housing in England and is working with those responsible for private blocks to take action.

The new ban will be implemented through changes to building regulations to be brought forward in late autumn.

Earlier this year, the Royal Institute of British Architects called for a total ban on flammable cladding, as well as a requirement for sprinklers to be fitted, and a second means of escape for high-rise residential buildings.